441 taken from God alone. 4. That every encouragement in INDEX Ee INDEX TO THE OBSERVATIONS. 1. THE chief end of man's creation, in reference to God, was to glorify him. 2. The chief end of man's creation, in reference to himself, was the enjoyment of God for ever. 3. The glorifying of God, and the enjoyment of him, are inseparably connected. 4. We need a rule to direct us how to glorify and to enjoy God. 5. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, or a revelation from heaven. 6. The Scriptures are the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy God. 7. Although the Scriptures are a sufficient, a perfect, and a clear and perspicuous rule of direction, yet they are not sufficient of themselves to make us wise to salvation. 8. The Scriptures were originally written in the Hebrew and Greek languages. 9. The Scriptures teach us what we are to believe concerning God. 10. The Scriptures teach us what duty God requires of man. 11. The Scriptures are said "principally" to teach what we are to believe and practise, because these things are most important, and absolutely necessary to salvation. 12. Faith or belief is the foundation of obedience. 13. The first point of religion taught in the Scriptures is the existence of God. 14. There are various names and titles by which God is known in Scripture. 15. God is a Spirit. 16. The attributes or perfections of God are commonly distinguished into communicable and incommunicable, or imitable and inimitable. 17. God is infinite in his being and perfections. 18. God is eternal in his being and perfections. 19. God is unchangeable in his being and perfections. 20. God alone is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being. 21. God is infinitely wise. 22. God is infinitely powerful. 23. God is infinitely holy. 24. God is infinitely just. 25. God is infinitely good and merciful, 26. God is infinitely true and faithful. 27. There is but one God. 28. God is the living and true God. 29. There is a plurality of persons in the Godhead. 30. There are three, and only three, persons in the Godhead. 31. The three persons in the Godhead are distinguished by their personal properties, which are incommunicable. 32. The Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God. 33. The belief of the doctrine of the Trinity is absolutely necessary to eternal salvation. 34. God hath formed certain purposes or decrees. 35. The decrees of God have various properties. 36. The decree of God has for its object whatever comes to pass. 37. God hath decreed all things for his own glory. 38. The doctrine of the decrees of God is calculated for the good, both of the righteous and the wicked. 39. The decrees of God are not the rule of our conduct. 40. God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence. 41. God created all things, or he made all things of nothing. 42. God created all things by the word of his power. 43. God made all things in the space of six days. 44. God created all things very good. 45. God created all things for his own glory. 46. God created man male and female. 47. Man was created after the image of God, which consists in knowledge, righteousness and holiness. 48. Man was created with dominion over the creatures. 49. There is a Providence. 50. The agency of God in providence consists in preserving and governing his creatures and their actions. 51. The objects of God's providence are, all his creatures and all their actions. 52. God's providence is most holy, wise, and powerful. 53. The providence of God is commonly distinguished into ordinary and extraordinary, common and special. 54. A covenant of works was made with Adam. 55. The parties of the covenant of works were God and man. 56. The condition of the covenant of works was perfect obedience. 57. The reward promised in the covenant of works was life. 58. The penalty of the covenant of works, or the threatening denounced in case of disobedience, was death. 59. Our first parents were left to the freedom of their own will. 60. Our first parents fell from the estate in which they were created, by sinning against God. 61. Any want of conformity to the law of God is sin. 62. Every transgression of the law of God is sin. 63. Man has fallen from his original state. 64. The first and particular sin which was the cause of Adam's fall, was the eating of the forbidden fruit. 65. The occasion of the sin of our first parents, was the temptation of Satan. 66. The sin of our first parents involves a violation of the whole law. 67. The sin of our first parents was highly aggravated in the sight of God. 68. The covenant made with Adam, was not only for himself, but also for his posterity. 69. All mankind, descending from Adam by ordinary generation, sinned in him and fell with him. 70. All mankind sinned in Adam, and fell with him, only in his first transgression. 71. Man's fallen state is a state of sin and misery. 72. There is such a thing as original sin. 73. Original sin consists in the guilt of Adam's first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of the whole nature. 74. Original sin, as to its nature, is universal, discovers itself where least expected, is a great hindrance in the way of holiness, is the spring of all actual sins, and exposes to the wrath of God. 75. Man by the fall has lost communion with God. 76. Man is under the wrath and curse of God. 77. In this world, man is liable to all kinds of misery and to death. 78. In the world to come, man is liable to the pains of hell. 79. The pains of hell are eternal, or for ever. 80. God has elected or ordained some men to eternal life. 81. God's purpose of election was from eternity. 82. God's purpose was the result of his own good pleasure. 83. God entered into a covenant of grace with Christ for the elect. 84. The parties of the covenant of grace are Jehovah and Jesus Christ, and in him elect sinners of mankind. 85. The condition of the covenant of grace was the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. 86. In the covenant of grace, certain promises were made to Christ, and to the elect in him. 87. The administration of the covenant of grace was committed to Jesus Christ. 88. The design of the covenant of grace was, to deliver the elect out of their state of sin and misery, and to bring them into a state of salvation. 89. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only Redeemer of God's elect. 90. Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. 91. Jesus Christ became man. 92. Jesus Christ is God and man in two distinct natures and one person. 93. Jesus Christ will continue to be God and man in one person for ever. 94. Jesus Christ became man by taking to himself a true body and a reason able soul. 95. Jesus Christ, as man, was conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost. 96. Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. 97. Jesus Christ was born without sin. 98. Jesus Christ is the Prophet, the Priest, and the King of his people. 99. Jesus Christ executed his offices of Prophet, Priest, and King, in his state of humiliation; and he now executes them in his state of exaltation. 100. Jesus Christ must be received by faith in all his offices. 101. Jesus Christ, as a Prophet, reveals to men the will of God. 102. Jesus Christ maketh this revelation of the will of God by his Word and Spirit. 103. Jesus Christ reveals the will of God for his people's salvation. 104. Jesus Christ is a Priest, and the only Priest that can take away sin in the sight of God. 105. Jesus Christ offered himself in sacrifice to God. 106. Jesus Christ offered himself in sacrifice but once. 107. Jesus Christ offered himself in sacrifice only for the elect. 108. Jesus Christ offered himself to satisfy Divine justice for the sins of his people. 109. Jesus Christ offered himself a sacrifice to reconcile sinners to God. 110. Jesus Christ, as a Priest, maketh continual intercession for his people. 111. Jesus Christ is a King. 112. Jesus Christ has two kingdoms; an essential kingdom, and a mediatorial kingdom. 113. Christ's mediatorial kingdom is a very extensive, a spiritual, and an everlasting kingdom. 114. The acts of Christ as a King are these:-his subduing his people to himself, his ruling and defending them, and his restraining and conquering all his own enemies, and those of his people. 115. Jesus Christ humbled himself. 116. Jesus Christ humbled himself by being born, and that in a low condition. 117. Jesus Christ humbled himself by being made under the law. 118. Jesus Christ humbled himself by undergoing all the miseries of this life. 119. Jesus Christ humbled himself by enduring the wrath of God. 120. Jesus Christ humbled himself by submitting to the cursed death of the cross. 121. Jesus Christ humbled himself by being buried, and by continuing under the power of death for a time. 122. Jesus Christ was exalted in consequence of his humiliation. 123. Jesus Christ was exalted by his resurrection from the dead on the third day. 124. Jesus Christ was exalted by his ascension to heaven. 125. Jesus Christ is exalted by sitting down at the right hand of God the Father. 126. Jesus Christ will be exalted by his coming to judge the world at the last day. 127. Redemption has been purchased by Christ for his people. 128. Redemption must be applied to believers. 129. Redemption is effectually applied to believers by the Holy Spirit. 130. In applying redemption to sinners, the Spirit worketh faith in them. 131. By faith the believer is united to Christ. 132. Believers are united to Christ in effectual calling. 133. The union between Christ and believers, is a real, a mysterious, an intimate, a spiritual, and an eternal union. 134. Effectual calling is the work of the Spirit of God. 135. In effectual calling the Spirit convinces of sin and misery. 136. In effectual calling the Spirit enlightens the mind in the knowledge of Christ. 137. In effectual calling the Spirit renews the will. 138. In effectual calling, the Spirit persuades and enables us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered in the Gospel. 139. As "the sin against the Holy Ghost" is in a special manner connected with his work in effectual calling, a very concise description is given of it. 140. In this life, believers partake of justification, adoption, and sanctification, and of those benefits which accompany or flow from them. 141. Justification and sanctification differ in various respects. 142. Justification is an act of the free and unmerited grace of God. 143. In justification, the perfect righteousness of Christ is imputed to the believer. |